Transference
by FallenAngel04
Summary: -Oneshot- A new transfer comes to Hogwarts and jumps right into fostering a particular positive interhouse relation.


Disclaimer: I do not claim to own anything related to the Harry Potter universe as it belongs to JK Rowling. It's her world; I only play in it, with no financial benefit.

A/N: This is based off of another dream from the journal I found. This one also occurred back in 2004 and appears here with much embellishment from me. As of now, it will stay a one-shot. There may or may not be a larger story here. If I do decide to make a chaptered story out of it, I will indicate it as such on my profile page. Hope you all enjoy it! ^_^

Transference

"Welcome first-years and welcome back to everyone else!" Dumbledore announced, standing and kicking off the start of the year feast with an annual speech. "First-years please note, and returning students please remember, that the Forbidden Forest is _forbidden_to all students. Should you wander inside unescorted by a Professor there is no guarantee you will come out alive," he warned seriously. "Mr. Filch has also informed me that he has revised the list of items that are prohibited within Hogwarts walls. Any student who wishes to read the list shall find it posted outside of his office. On a lighter note…," Dumbledore trailed off as the doors to the Great Hall opened slightly, allowing a young woman to walk inside.

As she walked down the main aisle of the Great Hall, she could feel everyone's eyes glued to her. She couldn't fault them for that; she surmised that she probably was an unusual sight. She could only imagine their surprise at seeing her attire alone, especially given that all of the students were dressed, more or less, in the Hogwarts standard uniform.

She was newly 17 and stood at 5'10". Her long, naturally brown, curly hair dyed with blonde, red, and black streaks tumbled loosely down to the middle of her back. Her golden eyes swept about the Great Hall, taking in every detail, as she made her way towards the front to greet the Headmaster, and apologize for arriving so late. As she moved down the aisle, the light glinted off of the small metal piercings residing in her ears, about eight in each, her left eyebrow, the right side of her nose, the right side of her lip, and her bellybutton, which was made slightly visible by her shirt. She was wearing a bright yellow backless halter top, straps of the bright material criss-crossed across her back, holding the shirt to her body and showing the lean muscle of her back tastefully, as well as the black and gray-toned wing tattoos on her shoulder blades and the dragon surrounded by tribal flames on her lower back. She wore slightly baggy black cargo pants, adorned with a studded belt, and black sneakers.

Her skin was tan with a light dusting of freckles, an obvious sign of much time in the sun, and her lanky frame was lithe, strong, and filled with lean muscle. It was obvious that this girl was no twig, and although lanky, she was sturdy, athletic, and could obviously hold her own. She was finally close enough to the Headmaster to project her voice to him instead of yelling.

"My apologies for interrupting Professor Dumbledore and for my late arrival," she began apologetically and smiled, closing the distance between them to a comfortable several feet, "I had some trouble finding the place."

"That's quite all right, Riley, it's perfectly understandable," Dumbledore assured her. He turned to the students and addressed them. "Students, students," he called their attention to him, before continuing and gesturing to Riley, "This is Riley Immortalus. She has transferred here from the Academy of Magic in California. In a moment, we will bring out the sorting hat to determine in which house she will begin her 7th year," he announced. As he finished, animated conversations broke out all over the Great Hall, concerning the new student standing next to Dumbledore. Four conversations in particular represented the students' sentiments well.

The Gryffindor table:

"Wow, a transfer. How often does that happen?" Neville Longbottom asked the four people sitting around him at the Gryffindor table.

"Not very," Hermione Granger answered, glancing at the girl standing with Dumbledore.

"Trust you to know the answer," Ron Weasley joked, laughing along with the rest of them.

"She looks so confident," Hermione observed.

"I don't know how," Ginny Weasley replied, "I can't imagine switching to a completely new school so late." She shook her head. "Not to mention having everyone staring so intently."

"Not to mention she had to switch to another country," Harry Potter added, looking towards the girl as well, "Did you see her tattoos and piercings? No wonder people were staring, it's not like they blend in."

"Yea, but even without the metal and ink, the clothes alone attract attention," Ron commented.

"I think even if she were without metal and ink and if she were in a Hogwarts uniform, we would all still be staring at her, her confidence alone attracts attention," Neville supplied.

"Well, whatever she wears or has" Hermione began seriously, "If she's in Gryffindor, I know I'm going to do everything I can to make her feel welcome. Hell, even if she's not in Gryffindor, I'll still do the same."

"Me too," Ginny agreed, Ron, Neville, and Harry nodding in agreement.

The Slytherin table:

"A new 7th year, call me pathetic, but I want her to be in Slytherin," Blaise Zabini laughed, sending a wink to his companions and eyeing the girl standing at the front of the hall.

"Careful Zabini, you're careening towards lecherous," Draco Malfoy warned jokingly. At Blaise's mock glare, Draco added, "Granted though, you have a point, she's definitely interesting, to say the least."

"And wild," Theodore Nott commented, "Did you see her tattoos and piercings?"

"Yea, whoever inked her did a great job," Millicent Bulstrode replied.

"Trust you to automatically hone in on the art, Millie," Pansy joked, laughing along with her. "I have to say, though her colors are a bit too bright for me, I love the style of her shirt," she commented.

"I know what you mean Pans, I love the style of her shirt too," Blaise agreed.

"Yea, I bet you do," she retorted playfully.

"I hope you're not this forward if she's sorted into Slytherin, Blaise," Draco addressed him. "You'll scare her away."

"I don't know about that Draco," Theodore responded doubtfully, "She doesn't seem like she would be easily scared."

"She definitely looks like she can hold her own," Millie assented and Pansy nodded, both agreeing with Theodore.

"We'll see," Draco shrugged, keeping his eyes on the girl, no, woman, standing at the front of the hall, "She'll have to be sorted into Slytherin first."

The Hufflepuff table:

"She looks good in yellow," Justin Finch-Flentchly commented, looking over the girl quickly before turning his attention back to his companions.

"Maybe, but I think she may be a bit too extreme to be a Hufflepuff," Hannah Abbot stated.

"What makes you say that?" Ernie MacMillian asked.

"She's so confident and she has tattoos and piercings," Susan Bones replied.

"It's basic probability," Hannah responded, "her personality traits will probably lean more towards the more outgoing houses."

"Not that we wouldn't want her to be Hufflepuff," Susan quickly soothed, as she saw the boys react.

"Exactly," Hannah agreed, explaining honestly, "We would love for her to be in our house, but it seems one of the more unlikely outcomes." The girls shrugged.

"I guess that's true," Ernie reluctantly agreed.

"You have to admit though, she looks like she would be a lot of fun to be around," Justin added.

The Ravenclaw table:

"I wonder why she had to transfer so late in her schooling," Mandy Brocklehurst expressed curiously.

"Who knows? Maybe she was kicked out," Lisa Turpin interjected casually and without malice.

"Always the negative option first, right Lisa?" Terry Boot observed playfully.

"Hey, if you prepare for the worst then everything else is that much better," Michael Corner argued.

"Maybe, but always preparing for the worst takes so much energy," Terry pointed out. "Wouldn't it be much more efficient to just to take things as they come instead of always preparing for the worst?"

"I wonder in which house she will be," Mandy quickly changed the subject, sensing a long debate beginning and wishing fervently to avoid it.

"Who knows? If she has anything in that pretty head of hers, maybe she'll end up with us," Michael replied, shrugging and glancing quickly over the girl.

"We're about to find out, here comes Professor McGonagall with the sorting hat," Lisa asserted, drawing the group's attention to the front.

"Ah, here we are," Dumbledore announced as Professor McGonagall neared the Headmaster, the sorting hat in her hands. As Dumbledore and McGonagall conversed briefly, Riley took the opportunity to look around the sea of students looking at her. She briefly focused her attention on each table, attempting to evaluate the countenances of those sitting there. As she passed over a red-bannered table, her eyes met those of whom she discovered to be Harry Potter. She knew of him, of course, and looked over his face quickly. He seemed friendly enough and when he sent a smile her way, she felt compelled to return one of her own to him. Her eyes passed over to the last table which had a green banner and her eyes met those of a boy with blonde hair. Honey met ice as their gazes locked and she couldn't help but notice that he was rather attractive. He smirked at her and she smiled flirtatiously back at him before turning her attention towards Professor McGonagall, who was now moving towards her. McGonagall smiled at Riley as she approached.

"This hat, once placed on your head, will determine in which house you will be," she explained, pointing to each in turn, "The houses are Gryffindor, Slytherin, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw." Riley nodded and McGonagall set the sorting hat on her head.

"Riley Immortalus," the hat began speaking to her, causing her to tense slightly in surprise and then relax.

"Interesting," Riley remarked quietly, smiling slightly.

"Hm, let's see what we have. Intelligent, inquisitive and a quick wit. A mind like that would serve you well in Ravenclaw, but we must not be hasty, there is so much more to you than that," the hat observed.

"Thanks for noticing," Riley commented, playfully sarcastic.

"Aha," the hat chuckled, "You have a playful side and a decent sense of humor, ah, yes, very loyal. Those traits would serve you well in Hufflepuff," the hat predicted.

"Please do not overlook that my loyalty is reserved only for those who earn it," Riley supplicated, delicately arching an eyebrow.

"Of course," the hat began slowly, "Confident, braver than most, those are Gryffindor traits, but you are dangerous when crossed, and with such a cunning mind, you would be a good candidate for Slytherin," the hat expounded, pausing briefly to consider everything. Riley felt her anticipation grow, sensing the hat come to a decision.

"Right," the hat determined. "The house in which you should reside is…" the hat trailed off for a second, reviewing its decision. "Gryffindor!" The hat announced as the Gryffindor table exploded in raucous applause as they did for each new member of the house. Riley smiled widely as she made her way down to the table and towards the group of people waving and making a space for her at the table.

"Hi Riley," Harry said, smiling at her again, "Welcome to Gryffindor."

"Thanks Harry," she replied.

"You know me," Harry commented, slightly disappointed.

"Correction," Riley responded, shaking her head for emphasis, "I know _of _you, I don't know you," she explained. Grinning at his surprised face, she asked, "Not what you were expecting?" He smiled and shook his head.

"Thank you for the distinction," he answered.

"No problem," she shrugged, "and for the record, I do want to get to know you." She turned her attention to the other four people with whom they were sitting, two boys, and two girls. "I would also like to know the four of you. If you were awake anytime in the past fifteen minutes, then you know that my name is Riley Immortalus," she put forth, laughing. "Unfortunately, I do not know your names," she reported seriously, looking over each of them as they spoke.

"My name is Hermione Granger," the girl with thick brown hair and kind brown eyes said, smiling widely.

"I'm Ron Weasley," the red-haired boy with blue eyes responded, smiling slightly.

"I'm Ginny, his sister," the red-haired, blue-eyed girl reported, gesturing to Ron.

"And I'm Neville Longbottom," the brown-haired boy with brown eyes informed her, smiling a bit shyly.

"It's nice to meet all of you," Riley disclosed, smiling brightly at all of them. "So," she lowered her voice and leaned towards them, whispering conspiratorially, "Anything I should know that they didn't mention in _Hogwarts, A History_?" The group gleefully launched into conversation, sharing stories and comparing experiences while eating. At a lull in the conversation, Riley looked up and found her attention drawn to the Slytherin table and to the gaze of the boy with the icy stare. She smiled radiantly at him and arched an eyebrow in his direction as he smirked teasingly at her. As the conversation began again, she turned her attention to the group of people who were quickly becoming new friends. Throughout dinner, she and the boy from Slytherin caught each others' eyes many times, each time resulting in a smile of some kind on both of their faces. As dinner ended, after receiving informative and explicit directions to the common room as well as the password from Hermione, Riley stayed behind to receive her schedule from Professor McGonagall, the creation of which was delayed due to a late delivery of her transcripts.

After thanking Professor McGonagall for all of her help, Riley left the Great Hall to head towards Gryffindor Tower. As she exited the Great Hall and rounded the corner, heading towards the main staircase, she encountered the boy from Slytherin, with whom she had been exchanging smiles all throughout dinner, leaning against the wall. He walked towards her and smiling encouragingly at her, took her hand and began leading her down the hallway. At the sound of feet rounding the corner, they took off running down the hallway, the boy leading, as she did not know the castle. They ducked into an empty classroom, shutting the door behind them. They stood in the empty room, simply gazing at each other in silence for a few minutes.

"Um, can I have my arm back? I think I need to pop my shoulder back into place," Riley asked, a playful tone to her words as she broke the silence between them. He laughed, the low rumbling coming from deep within his chest and resonating seductively in the empty room. She leaned against the wall, smiling at the boy, scratch that, the man, who stood before her. "So, if you were listening to Dumbledore, you already know my name, do you?" Riley asked him. He nodded. [I hope you're telling the truth because I'm going to test you on that later,] she thought smiling at him. "Yes, well, I don't believe you mentioned your name in the process of dislocating my shoulder," she joked with him again, encouraging him to introduce himself.

"My name is Draco, Draco Malfoy," he responded, smiling.

"Draco," Riley repeated, liking the feel of his name rolling off of her tongue. "That's an interesting name," she commented.

"What? You think it's funny?" He demanded, almost angry.

"You really need to learn to take a compliment," Riley retorted, crossing her arms across her chest and raising an eyebrow at him. He flushed slightly, embarrassed at his unfounded anger.

"Sorry," he muttered, "I guess I'm so used to it, I reacted without thinking."

"Don't even worry about it," she returned, letting her arms fall comfortably back to her sides. After a moment of silence, she said, "Earlier you mentioned that you knew my name, correct?" He nodded, confirming it to be true. "What is it?" She asked him suddenly.

"What?" He questioned, caught off guard.

"What is my name? You claim to know it," Riley clarified.

"Riley Immortalus," he responded confidently. He smirked and continued, "You are a transfer student from the Academy of Magic in California. You are now in Gryffindor, you're starting your 7th year, like me, and" he paused, evaluating her smiling face and moving towards her, "you're alone in an empty classroom with me." He stopped a few feet from her and she examined him with her eyes for a few moments.

"Impressive, congratulations," she declared nonchalantly.

"For what?" He asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

"For earning my trust," she answered. "So far you've been true to your word," she explained, reaching out and slipping her fingers underneath his tie, pulling him gently towards her. "I find that extremely attractive," she supplied, smiling slyly and leaning slightly towards him. He regarded her for a moment and closed the distance between them, placing a hand on the wall to either side of her head, and, keeping his gaze on hers, he leaned down towards her until his breath was running over her lips. Their eyes slipped closed as she tugged on his tie, closing the distance between them and pressing their lips together. Their lips molded together sensuously, moving against each other softly, gently caressing the sensitive skin. He lightly brushed his tongue along her bottom lip, asking for entrance. As she opened her mouth, allowing his tongue to slide in and dance with hers, her hands released his tie, sliding up his chest and then to his shoulders, before finally slipping around to the back of his neck. She pulled him closer to her and playfully nipped at his bottom lip. She chuckled into his mouth as he smiled against her lips.

He bit down gently on her tongue, before wrapping his tongue around hers soothingly. She gasped into his mouth and as they continued kissing fervently, he placed his hands on her shoulders, sliding them slowly down her back to rest on her hips. Keeping her left arm wrapped around his shoulders, she slid her right hand up his neck to caress his cheek, tilting his head slightly to deepen the kiss. He groaned lowly and wrapped his left arm around her waist, demolishing the space between their bodies as his right hand slid to her back and moved upwards, caressing her spine. She moaned lightly into his mouth, relishing the feel of his hard body against hers and his strong arms around her. His right hand slid into her hair, cradling the back of her head and deepening the kiss further. Their lips moved together, tongues dancing feverishly, until they were both breathless. They slowly pulled away, savoring the moment, and, locking eyes once more, they rested their foreheads together, catching their breath.

"I think I'm going to like Hogwarts," Riley reflected, smiling brilliantly. The two began laughing and left the classroom, walking towards the common rooms. Along the way, Draco slipped his hand into Riley's, threading their fingers together. As she smiled at him, he raised their interlocked hands, and, keeping his eyes on hers, pressed soft kisses into her knuckles, his lips barely brushing her skin. The two students soon reached the split in the hallways, one which led to the dungeons and the Slytherin common room and the other led upwards to Gryffindor Tower. They stopped walking and stood at the split to say their goodbyes.

"If only our common rooms were closer together," Draco stated, expelling a breath of air, "since they aren't, this is where I must bid you goodnight, Riley," he informed her lowly, brushing his lips across her knuckles once more, before pulling her to him and pressing his lips fervently to hers, wrapping his arms around her waist. She returned his kiss just as fervently, her arms immediately wrapping themselves around his shoulders and neck. They gently broke apart, keeping their arms wrapped around one another. "Goodnight Riley," Draco practically whispered against her lips.

"Goodnight Draco," she responded, her lips brushing against his as she spoke, before she briefly pressed them together, before pulling away and locking eyes with him. Gazes locked together, they slowly stepped out of each others' embrace, simply allowing their limbs to slide away from their partner's body. Each smiled at the other as they turned and walked towards their respective common rooms. Before she rounded the corner, Riley paused and looked over her shoulder just in time to catch Draco's eyes as he did the same. They shared a final smile for the night and then turned to walk happily to their common rooms. Riley entered her dorm quietly and lied down. As she fell asleep, her senses were still alive with the memory of Draco – his touch, his smell, his taste. She slipped peacefully into slumber, happily seeking tomorrow and dreaming of the future, his name resting on her lips and slipping, a silent whisper, into the night.

_Draco._


End file.
